Greensprings grooms future footballers

While Nigerians hope that the Super Eagles perform well at the ongoing World Cup holding in Brazil, Greensprings School, Lagos, is concerned about helping to raise future teams through its football scholarship..

Four beneficiaries of the scholarship, discovered during the last two editions of the Greensprings/Kanu Football Camp (a talent hunt initiative of the school with the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation), are adjusting to academic and football life at the school’s Awoyaya campus in Ibeju-Lekki. The quartet, Haruna Adi, Elvis Onyenze, Musa Ali, and Muritala Toyeeb, were formerly pupils of public school before their talents led them to Greensprings, where they now enjoy topflight education in a serene environment.

Forming part of the scholarship is sponsoring them to tournaments. The school’s deputy head, Ms Dolapo Fatoki, said during a facility tour of the school that two of the quartet (Elvis and Musa) participated in the 2nd African Youth Championship in Burkina Faso and displayed their talent that made other countries to be envious. Musa scored a goal in the tournament won by Nigeria.

At Greensprings, Ms Fatoki said, the youngsters would be exposed to quality tuition based on the British curriculum, enjoy world class educational and recreational facilities, and benefit from the school’s core values of child-centredness, respect, integrity, excellence and service.

She said the football scholarship is just one of the initiatives the school has embarked upon to give back to the society.

Others, in her words include annual scholarship to orphans, training for teachers and support to several public schools.

She added that parents and the pupils have plugged into the school’s giving habit and are implementing several projects. The parents sponsor 10 pupils to Greensprings annually, while the pre-school, elementary, high, and International Baccalaureate arms of the school have provided facilities for public schools and donated in support of worthy causes.

“The empathy level of our children is very high. They are aware that they are privileged. Our children make contributions to charities in the school. The school also encourages parents to contribute. The school gives because it is the nature of the visioner of the school, Mrs Lai Koiki. She stands for giving back. It is something she teaches to every child that passes through this school,” she said.

But the school is not done with giving yet. During the long vacation, while some of its teachers travel to the United Kingdom for various training, Ms Fatoki said Greensprings will open its doors to teachers from public schools and other private schools to train at a highly subsidized rate.

Supporting Ms Fatoki’s claims, a parent, Mr Solomon Oyebode, said the school provides an environment for all-round development of its 1,300 pupils, aged between 18 months and 18 years.

He said he appreciates this value in his children and urged corporate organisations and individuals to support its many projects which can add value to the lives of the underprivileged.

“When children have been exposed to an environment like this, it helps them to develop much more. There are a lot of areas we require sponsorship that we would be happy to partner,” he said.